From Strangers to Dance Partners
by Juliet Riversong
Summary: An AU in which everyone is still an animal, but Sly and Carmelita haven't met yet. Carmelita's best friend, Artemis (a snow leopard), and one of Sly's best friends, Will (a panther), are getting married! To announce the engagement, Will and Artemis invite Sly and Carm to a dinner. When Sly and Carm meet, their interactions become like in the games. Rated for cursing. OC/OC S/C
1. Epilogue

**AN: Hello, all! It's good to be back after not writing for a while. I just recently started re-playing all the Sly Cooper games (which I ADORE). And, after being reminded about how adorable Sly and Carmelita are, I decided to write about them! This'll be a multi-chapter fic. Not sure how long. I'll write as fast as I can to get the second chapter up.**

**Some points about this chapter and the story in general:**

**1.) For this fic (and any other Sly Cooper fics I write with Carmelita in them), Carmelita's voice will sound like her voice from the 2nd game. I like her voice in that the best.**

**2.) When Artemis says "brinner," it means "breakfast for dinner" (in case you didn't already know).**

**3.) Artemis has an Irish accent. I'm going to be typing her speech normally, but just keep in mind that she's got an Irish accent.**

**4.) Artemis' full name is Artemis O'Shea. Will's full name is William Winther. Just fyi.**

**5.) Artemis O'Shea and Will Winther are characters I made up. I probably won't use Will Winther again. But, I may draw Artemis and possibly Sly and Carmelita's son (who I'll probably name Will). So, if you wanna use Winther in one of your stories, feel free. Just tell me first, yeah?**

* * *

It was a hot summer day, just like any other when Interpol agent Inspector Carmelita Fox was driving home from a long day of busting criminals. _The rush-hour traffic actually isn't half bad today_, she thought to herself. _Then again, it_ is _only Wednesday._

When she pulled up into the parking lot of her apartment complex, Carmelita's sixth sense she gained from years on the force kicked in. Something was about to happen.

Pushing it to the side of her thoughts for now (although still remaining alert), the blue-haired vixen grabbed the keys to her apartment and stepped out of her car. She made her way up the steps to her floor.

Upon arrival at her door, she fumbled with the keys before slipping the correct one into the door handle, unlocking it and stepping inside.

"Artemis, I'm back," she called to her roommate that may or may not be in. Carmelita slipped off her boots and set them beside the door.

"Hey, Carm! How was work today?" she heard a voice ask from another room, the person's voice lilting with an Irish accent.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Busted some criminals, made the boss happy." She walked over to the couch in the living room area of the apartment and sat down on it.

She heard laughter come from the other room before seeing a tall, slim figure emerge from the hallway. "All in a day's work, huh?" Artemis teased.

Carmelita grinned back. "You know it."

Artemis only replied with a bright smile before the snow leopard walked into the small kitchen, her black short-shorts and blue T-shirt with a Native American design on it keeping her cool.

Humming to herself, Artemis started to get out things for dinner. "Brinner sound good to you?" asked the Irishwoman lightly.

Carmelita raised an eyebrow at her roommate, who seemed to be on Cloud 9. "Uh... Yeah, sure," she said uncertainly.

"Okay," the other woman sighed, barely acknowledging the fox's hesitation.

"Hey, Art, you okay?" asked Carmelita warily.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm perfectly fine," replied Artemis in her natural Irish accent, continuing to make dinner for the two of them. She then put her lower back-length black hair up in a ponytail so it wouldn't get dirty.

"What's got you so happy, then?"

After a long bout of silence, Carmelita began to get suspicious. "Artemis O'Shea, you'd better tell me what's going on."

"Nothing's going on!" Artemis replied quickly, brushing her side bangs that couldn't fit into the ponytail out of her eyes.

"... Alright," Inspector Fox replied, still unconvinced but not wanting to start anything.

* * *

As the two women were sitting at their countertop, eating in silence, Carmelita couldn't help wanting to start a conversation.

"So, how are you and Will doing?" she asked, knowing that bringing up Artemis' long-time boyfriend would definitely get her talking.

"We're doing wonderfully, thank you for asking!" the snow leopard exclaimed.

"Oh, which reminds me!" she quickly added before Carmelita could say something. "Would you mind coming to dinner with Will and I on Friday? He's inviting his best mate as well," she added the last bit as an afterthought.

Carmelita groaned and set her fork down, slumping back in her chair. "Please tell me this isn't another one of your _'set-Carmelita-up-with-someone-so-she'll-be-happier'_ plans, is it? Because you know I'm perfectly happy already."

"No, no. I promise it's nothing like that! We just got tired of going on dates by ourselves..." she fibbed.

"I don't know, Art..." Carmelita said skeptically.

"_Pleeease_? It would mean the _world_ to me! And Will!" the black-haired woman begged, her green eyes pleading with Carmelita to accept.

The vixen sighed heavily. "Oh, alright."

"Yes!" fist pumped Artemis. "Thank you _so_ much, Carm!"

Carmelita laughed lightly and shook her head at her best friend's antics. "Yeah, yeah."

The Irish snow leopard happily picked up both her and Carmelita's empty plates and gently laid them in the sink, nearly skipping down the short hallway to her room. No doubt she was about to call Will and tell him that Carmelita accepted.

Carmelita sighed and sat back in her chair. _Friday is going to be interesting, _she thought to herself.

* * *

"Sly, hurry up! We don't have much time. The owner will be back soon," a nasally voice came from the comm in his ear.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Bentley," replied the raccoon currently racing across rooftops.

"Wait... Are you even at the house yet?"

"Uh, no. But that's not important."

"Yes! Yes it is important! We could be _caught_!"

Sly skidded to a halt, the gap between the roof he's on and the next one bigger than before. "We're not going to get caught. Just... Have a little faith in me, Bentley." And with that, he turned off his comm.

Taking a deep breath, the master thief backed up so he was in the middle of the roof. Flicking his ringed tail and twirling his trusty cane in his hand, Sly burst forward at a sprint.

As he approached the edge of the roof, he leapt forward and soared across the open space, landing in a roll on the far platform. When he came out of the roll, he was crouched.

"Hell yeah!" he exclaimed, jumping up and continuing across the roof.

A couple roofs later, Sly stuck his cane in his mouth and latched onto a pipe, climbing down onto a balcony. Once there, he took the cane in his hand again. Turning so he was facing the open window across the alley, he smirked.

Sly leapt from the balcony, reaching up with his cane and hooking onto a convenient clothesline and swinging silently across the gap and through the window.

Landing in a crouch, Cooper looked up. He stood and made his way out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

Not knowing where he was going, he turned the comm back on. "Where am I going, Bentley?"

"Okay, so you're in the hallway now, right?" the turtle asked.

"Yeah," Sly replied, his tail gently waving around behind him as he looked down the hallway. "I'm in the bedroom doorway."

Some clicking from a keyboard could be heard through the comm. "When you step out into the hallway, the second door on your left should be the one with the safe."

"Alright, thanks man." The raccoon in blue crept down the hallway. "No one's home, right, Bentley?" Sly asked in a whisper, just in case there was, in fact, someone there.

"Shouldn't be... Why, do you see someone?" came the worried reply.

Sly stepped up to the door and softly opened it. "No, it's all clear."

Spotting the safe, he made his way over. He knelt next to the safe and turned his head so his ear was on the door.

Cooper slowly turned the knob left until - _click_. _There's the first number,_ he thought to himself.

He then started to turn it right until the same click happened again. _And the second_. After that, it was back to the left.

Finally, the third click sounded and Sly leaned back and pulled the handle. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he easily pulled it open. _Bingo_.

Taking the contents of the safe and leaving a calling card, he closed the door to the safe and stuck the object in his pouch.

"I'm all done in here, Bentley."

"Alright, Sly. Head into the alley and Murray and I will be there in the van," came the cheery reply.

The raccoon stepped out of the safe room and into the hallway. Suddenly, the sound of a door shutting set him on edge, instantly making him shove himself silently against the wall.

When he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, he moved to the bedroom with silent steps acquired after years and years of being a thief.

The steps continued down the hallway towards him, so Sly dove to the ground, quickly rolling underneath the bed.

Holding his breath, Sly watched the person's feet as they went around the room. The boots came to a stop at the bed. The person - they looked to be a monkey of some sort - kicked off their shoes and nudged them under the bed.

Sly silently thanked the heavens that the man didn't kneel down and look before doing so.

A heavy sigh came from the man as he sat down on the bed. Sly pushed himself more against the floor so the monkey didn't feel something pushing up on the mattress and check underneath.

The man let out a breathy curse before getting up and walking out of the room. Sly waited a few moments to make sure he was gone and staying gone for a little bit before launching out from under the bed and running over to the windowsill.

Spotting a slick pipe that lead to the glorious Cooper Van, he hopped on it and slid down to the ground before running to the passenger seat and hopping in through the open window.

Once finally safe, Sly breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, Murray. _Step on it!_"

* * *

After saying goodbye to his gang, the raccoon in blue stepped out of the van and made his way to the front door of his apartment building.

He _would_ live with the gang in the safe house, but he had to keep up the pretense that he was a normal person, and not a thief, so he had to get an apartment. His roommate was a cool dude. They did a full background check (and with Bentley's hacking ability, it was even more extensive) on him before Sly moved in.

Because of a little slip of the tongue on Murray's part when the hippo and turtle were over, Sly's roommate knew what they did in their free time. Thankfully, he promised not to tell anyone about it once he was explained that the Cooper Gang were honorable thieves who only stole from bad people who deserved it.

Honestly, Sly wasn't exactly sure what he would have done if his roommate reacted differently.

Arriving at the door, Sly pulled out his keys and stuck them in the lock, turning it so it became unlocked. He then opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him and slipping off his shoes.

He glanced at the clock. _6:34. Alright._

The honorable thief took off his mask (which was pretty redundant, seeing as how he's a raccoon) and gloves, setting them in the special compartment in the living room.

He could smell mac'n'cheese coming from the kitchen. When he went into the kitchen, he spotted his roommate on the phone.

"-she accepted, sweetie," Sly heard, just catching the end of the sentence. He sent a quick head nod to his roommate before grabbing a bowl and scooping some noodles into it.

His friend nodded back. "Yeah, I know. I'll ask him tonight."

Sly's brows furrowed in confusion. He was obviously talking to his girlfriend, Artemis, who Sly had met many times. She was a pretty cool chick. Her accent was awesome.

"Me too, hun. See you then... Love you too, bye," said his roomie before hanging up and slipping his cellphone in his pocket. "Hey, Sly."

"'Sup, Will. Who was that on the phone?" he asked, knowing full well who is was.

"Oh, that was Artemis."

"Sweet. How are you two doing, by the way?" he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter and scooping a spoonful of noodles in his mouth.

"We're doing great. How was the heist?" Will asked, knowing that that's what his friend had been doing.

"It went very nicely. Almost got caught by the guy, but I managed to avoid it," the raccoon replied calmly.

"Oo. Good thing you didn't. Or I'd probably have to bail you out, wouldn't I?" the slightly taller, more built man asked.

Sly chuckled at his panther friend. "Probably."

"Hey, Sly?" Will asked after a moment of them eating their food.

"Yeah?"

"You free on Friday?"

"William Winther, are you asking me out on a _date_? But what about Artemis?" Sly asked, gasping dramatically and putting a hand to his chest.

Will laughed and shook his head. "That's real cute, Sly."

"Thanks, I thought so," he replied cheekily.

"No, I was just wondering because Art and I wanted you to come with us to dinner," the panther continued, getting to the point.

"Uh..."

"She's inviting a friend of hers as well. She wanted to try something different, like going on dates with other people," Will added.

Sly sighed. "Man, you know I don't have time to meet anyone. Besides, it'd _suck_ not being able to tell her what I do if we _do_ get serious. Not everyone would react like you did. We got lucky."

"I know, I know. But it doesn't have to be anything like that! Just think of it this way; it's like me and Art are going to a ball or something-"

"-Seriously dude, a ball?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to help you understand."

"Sorry," Sly at least had the decency to look sheepish, scratching the back of his neck.

"_Anyway_, it's like we're going to some sort of event and you're my plus-one and Art's friend is hers. You don't have to get married and have kids or anything, just _please_ be civil," Winther begged.

Sly sighed again. "Alright, alright, I'll come." Then, after a short moment, "Is it formal wear?"

"Naw, man. We're just going to Outback."

"Okay, sounds good."

Will let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks so much, Sly."

"Eh, no problem," he replied, waving him off before setting his empty dish in the sink. "Now go call Artemis and tell her I said yes, just like she called you."

Will gave Sly a confused look before it dawned on him. "Were you listening to our conversation?"

The raccoon in question shrugged. "Only your half of it. I could piece together the rest on my own, it's not that hard."

Will sighed and shook his head, mumbling something about how it must be the thief in Sly, always aware of the things going on around him. He then walked off down the hallway to his bedroom.

Sly sighed and leaned against the counter again. "Friday is going to be interesting," he mumbled to himself.

* * *

**AN: (Forgot the disclaimer, whoops: any and all recognizable "Sly Cooper" characters from the games are not mine. Artemis and Will ARE mine. See # 5 up top for more info. Outback Steakhouse does not belong to me, although I've been there many times) There you have it! The first chapter of "From Strangers to Dance Partners"! Next chapter will probably be the dinner. I'll have it ASAP! But, I'm a little busy this summer, so hopefully I'll get around to it soon.**

**If you wanna, drop me a review to let me know what you guys think! It'd be greatly appreciated!**


	2. Dinner for Four

**AN: Hello! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! Also, I've decided that I'm going to update every week. So, be expecting an update next Sunday before 12:00 midnight! Although, sometimes they may be early, sometimes they may be late, and sometimes I may have to skip a week - depending on how busy my week is.**

**Just fyi, when a sentence is in italics, that means the person is thinking that sentence.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sly Cooper or any other recognizable characters from the games (no matter how hard I wish I did). I also don't own Outback Steakhouse. (I do, however, own Artemis and Will)**

**Dang, this turned** **out to be a pretty long chapter! I hope this fulfills your need of Sly/Carmelita banter! Enjoy**

* * *

**-Thursday-**

Carmelita Fox sighed to herself. She was walking down the sidewalk, headed for the local grocery store for some food. It wasn't too far from her apartment, so she decided to forgo her car for good, old fashioned walking.

Not only would walking save gas, it also gave her time to think about her life. Her job, her friends... Her love life. Or lack thereof.

The gorgeous fox's last relationship was with a fellow Interpol agent. He ended up getting feelings for a childhood friend. Carmelita had met the other woman before and she was very nice.

The man couldn't decide between the two, so Carmelita chose for him; she ended things. She cared about him deeply, but could see that he was happier with his friend.

Lost in thought, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. From the alley she was walking past, a man came barreling at her.

He wasn't paying attention to where he was going either, so he crashed into her, knocking her to the ground and falling on top of her.

Wide brown eyes looked into each other's. Then, recovering, the handsome raccoon above her grinned charmingly.

"My apologies, miss. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings," he said, getting up and picking a strange-looking hook off the ground.

Carmelita blinked at his offered hand. "Uh, it's... It's no problem. I wasn't paying attention either," she replied, grabbing his hand. He pulled her up quickly, leaving her breathless.

When she looked at his face, they were closer than she was comfortable with. She could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Although, I'm somewhat glad I wasn't. If I run into a gorgeous woman every time I'm not paying attention, I'd actually give myself two left feet," the mysterious man added, winking at her.

Regaining her composure, the off-duty Interpol agent released her hold on the man's hand and took a step back. "Um... Thank you?"

"Not a problem," he replied, smiling.

"Now, if you don't mind, I must be off. I hope we meet again," with that and a bow Carmelita couldn't tell whether it was mocking or not, the stranger was off.

Still momentarily stunned, Carmelita blinked again. Shaking herself out of the stupor she was put in, she kept walking. Just a few more blocks to go...

As she continued walking, she just couldn't seem to get that mysterious stranger out of her mind. His voice, his eyes, his smile...

All of it imprinted itself in her brain.

No, no, no! This was not good. She had to stop thinking about him. There was no way she was going to see him again, so what would be the point in memorizing what he was like?

In a day, she'll forget all about the raccoon who crashed into her.

With a heavy sigh, she focused her thoughts back on the real world. _I wonder what Will's friend will be like_.

Will he be sweet? Arrogant? Shy? There was no way to tell before meeting the man, of course. But Carmelita's mind could still wonder.

* * *

"Aw, Will, you should've seen her! She was _beautiful_!" Sly exclaimed, throwing his hands up at 'beautiful' for emphasis.

He had come back from the heist he and the gang pulled smiling like an idiot. At Will's questioning on why he was so happy, the thieving raccoon had explained that he had accidentally crashed into a random woman who turned out to be, well, "_beautiful_."

Will shook his head, smiling. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a little crush. How adorable."

Being brought back to reality by his roommate's comment, Sly frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. That's probably the first, _and last_, time I'll ever see her. What are the odds of me _actually_ seeing this woman again? Besides, I was merely commenting on how attractive she was," he added defensively.

Shrugging, Will replied, "Whatever you say, man," and left the room with his laundry basket in hand.

Left alone with his thoughts, Sly couldn't get the fox he ran into out of his mind. Not only was she good looking, but she also smelled amazing! (No, he doesn't think it was creepy that he smelled her at all...)

He sighed. He had to forget about her. There was no way he would ever see her again, so what'd be the point of keeping her in his thoughts. He only wished he knew her name, so he didn't have to keep calling her "gorgeous fox lady" in his head.

Focusing back in the real world, Sly started making dinner for himself and his panther roommate.

* * *

**-Friday evening-**

Carmelita got ready for the evening, taking a shower and putting on decent clothes. The dinner was only going to be at Outback Steakhouse, so her clothes didn't have to be fancy, but she certainly wasn't going to show up in sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt.

She put on simple black short shorts and a black tank top. Over the tank top, she put on a light grey shirt with the words "stay classy" printed on them in black. To top it all off, she put on black boots and mascara.

Artemis put on a mid-thigh length green dress that made her eyes pop. Grabbing her purse and car keys, Carmelita and Artemis headed out to the fox's car; it was smaller and more fuel efficient.

"Will said that he and his mate are there already," Artemis read off her phone, her Irish accent becoming more prominent due to her excitement.

Carmelita smiled. "You should calm down, Art. It's just a dinner," she replied, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Oh, it's going to be _far_ from _'just a dinner,'_" Artemis whispered to herself.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing, Carmelita," said Artemis, an innocent smile on her face.

The rest of the ride went on in silence, both women thinking about different things.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Carmelita offered to drop Artemis off at the entrance. "You go in and find Will. I'll park the car and be right in."

"Alright, sure. Thank you!" Artemis accepted happily, opening the car door and walking into the building.

When Carmelita found a good parking space, she turned off the car, took the keys from the ignition, grabbed her purse, and stepped out of the car.

Shutting the car door behind her, Carmelita pressed the button on the key that locked the car and walked over to the door. One of the waitresses was waiting to open the door. "Welcome to Outback," she cheerily said.

The blue-haired fox walked up to the hostess station.

"Hello, how many?" asked the hostess, a friendly smile on her face.

"Actually, I'm with a party that's already here?"

"Okay! What name?"

"Winther, maybe."

"Alrighty, yup. You'll go to your right and then left down the long isle. Your group should be in the very back corner of the restaurant," she said, pointing while giving the directions.

"Thank you," Carmelita replied, smiling at the woman and heading off in the direction she was told.

She was headed for the bathroom first, though. Which just so happened to be in the same general area.

Realizing she still had her keys out, the fox flicked her tail and brought her purse to the front of her, looking down and fumbling with putting her keys inside while continuing to walk.

When she was almost to the door, she felt herself trip and then start to fall. Her eyes screwed shut involuntarily in preparation for impact on the hard ground. But instead, she landed on something soft...

Shit. It was a person.

Opening her eyes wide, Carmelita prepared to apologize profusely. But what she was met with made the words die in her throat.

Right there, underneath her, was the raccoon she had bumped into just yesterday.

Her hands were on his chest and his were around her waist. A mischievous, almost... Happy glint was in his eyes.

"We really must stop meeting like this," his smooth voice teased.

Gaining her faculties much quicker than last time, Carmelita scrambled up. "You should really watch where you're going!"

The raccoon across from her stood up as well and raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I could say the same thing to you."

Carmelita narrowed her eyes and bent down to pick up her purse, zipping it closed (thank the heavens that nothing fell out), and saying, "Have a nice night." Without waiting for a reply, she walked past the man and to the door marked "Sheilas."

Before the door shut, she heard the man chuckle and looked back to see him shaking his head with a smile on his face.

* * *

Finished up in the bathroom, Carmelita made her way to the booth table her friend was sitting at. From her position, she could see Will and Artemis' faces.

But, Will's friend was facing away from her. He had grey fur... No, it couldn't be...

As she came up to the table, her fears were confirmed. It was the raccoon she had just seen earlier.

Carmelita blinked in disbelief and even the normally composed stranger had both eyebrows up as their gazes locked. _You have_ got_ to be kidding me_.

"Carmelita! There you are! What took you so long?" Artemis asked, thoroughly confused at the looks her two friends were giving each other.

"Oh, uh, I went to the bathroom..." Carmelita answered, looking away from the raccoon and shattering the tense eye contact. He was still looking at her, though.

Will was sitting against the wall and Artemis was on the outside of the booth seat. Will's friend was sitting against the wall as well.

"Hello, Carmelita!" said Will, a smile on his face, oblivious to the weirdness going on between his friend and the fox still standing up.

Carmelita turned to him and have a small smile. "Hey, Will."

"So, this is my friend and roommate, Sly Cooper," he said again, gesturing to the raccoon. "Sly, that's Artemis' friend, Carmelita Fox."

_Sly? So that's his name_...

"Nice to meet you, Sly..." Carmelita turned to the raccoon - Sly - and gave a smile that was really more like a grimace.

Sly grinned. "Pleasure's all mine, Carmelita," he replied, winking so that only she could see.

_Ugh_._ This is gonna be a_ long _night_.

"Please, sit!" said Artemis happily.

Hesitantly, Carmelita slid into the booth and sat as far from Sly as possible.

"I won't bite, you know," he said quietly, so only she could hear.

Carmelita sighed and moved so she was at least firmly in the seat. But she refused to move any closer to the man.

When the waiter came around, everyone placed their orders.

The rest of the dinner went on with small chatter between the group. Every once in a while, Sly would make a "charming" comment towards Carmelita. She would brush it off with an eye roll.

After the waiter dropped their desserts off, the chatter died down.

Carmelita got a mini chocolate milkshake, so she was sipping happily on that.

"So, there was actually a reason why we invited you two to this dinner...," the Irishwoman sitting across from her started.

Carmelita looked up and tilted her head, seeing Artemis and Will share a glance and a small head nod. She risked a glance over at Sly and he was looking at the couple as well, a calm curiosity playing through on his features.

Looking back at the couple, she watched and listened closely.

"Well, you see," Artemis started again. "Will and I..."

Then, together in perfect unison, said, "We're getting married!"

Carmelita's mouth fell open. Then, when the words finally sunk in, a big smile graced her features. "Oh my gosh, that's so wonderful, Art! I'm so happy for you two!"

She looked between the two of them, glad that Artemis was happy and that he treated her well.

"Congratulations, man. That's great," she heard Sly say.

"That's not all," said Artemis mysteriously, gaining the attention of both the raccoon and the fox.

"We wanted to ask you guys if you'd the the Best Man," continued Will, looking at Sly.

"And the Maid of Honor," finished Artemis, looking at Carmelita.

Carmelita was awed to silence, and it seemed the man sitting next to her was as well. She couldn't believe that Artemis wanted her to be Maid of Honor!

It was such a... Well, an honor!

"Of course!" Carmelita and Sly said at the same time. Carmelita sent a small glare his way.

Will and Artemis wore matching grins. "That's awesome," said Will, "It wouldn't be the same without you two."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, man," replied Sly, a happy smile on his face.

"Thank you, Sly," Artemis added, looking at the raccoon with gratitude in her voice and features.

Sly inclined his head, smiling happily at her.

"I'm so humbled that you asked me to be your Maid of Honor, Art!" Carmelita commented.

"It was the first thing she decided about the wedding when I asked her," said Will, a humorous smirk on his face. Artemis nudged him. Carmelita smiled.

"Speaking of which," the fox started, "when did you ask her?"

Artemis smiled and brought her hand on top of the table, a simple band that looked like silver ivy wrapping around her ring finger. Small white gems coated the part of the ring that faced up.

Carmelita gasped as she and Sly both leaned in to look at it. "It's gorgeous, Will!"

"Thank you. I thought that one suited her best," he replied modestly.

The fox nodded in response.

"He took me on a romantic date in the park. There was a carriage ride and a two-person peddle boat and everything! Then, after a nice picnic, he took me under the bridge - you know, the one with ivy and roses hanging from the top - and got down on one knee! Of course, I said yes as soon as he was finished his speech," Artemis gushed, her Irish accent seeming to make everything more magical and her eyes sparkled with glee.

Carmelita listened with a bright smile on her face. Then, noticing that Cooper was sitting closer to her, she sent him a quick glare and nudged his foot with hers under the table.

Looking at Carmelita, he seemed to realize just how close the two were and grinned, sliding back closer to the wall.

Carmelita rolled her eyes but then turned back to the happy couple who were oblivious to what just went on. "That's so sweet, Will."

Will ducked his head sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. "She deserves nothing less."

"Aw, thank you, love!" Artemis said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

Sly and Carmelita looked on, matching smiles on their faces.

"So, when's the wedding?" asked Sly, a smile still on his face.

"We're going to do it sometime in late November or early December because Art here loves the cold," answered Will, looking at Artemis.

"... And, along with the regular duties of being Best Man and Maid of Honor," added Artemis, "we'd like for you two to... Share a dance after ours at the wedding."

"Seriously?!" the fox and raccoon said together. Sly sounded a little excited while Carmelita sounded mortified.

Artemis winced at Carmelita's reaction. "It'll only be one dance, I swear!"

Sly, knowing Carmelita's reluctance, waited for her to answer first.

Looking at Artemis, there was NO way she was going to be able to refuse. Besides, it was Art's big day. Who was she to come in the way of that? If she had to endure one slow dance with the raccoon beside her to make her best friend happy, then so be it.

"Alright. Only for you, Art."

Artemis beamed. "Thank you so much!" She then looked to Sly. He nodded.

"One more thing..." started Will.

_Oh, brother._ _What now?_

"It's going to be a tango."

At this, both of their jaws drop open. For different reasons, though.

Carmelita had experience with dance. She knew how to dance a tango fairly well. Therefore, she knew it was a very passionate and... _Intimate_ dance.

Sly, on the other hand, knew virtually nothing about dancing. And Carmelita could tell from the look on his face.

"You're really lucky I like you, man," said Sly, shaking his head and leaning back in the booth.

Artemis and Will smiled apologetically.

Interrupting the group, the waiter came back with the check and took away their desserts.

Will reached for the check and filled out the necessary blanks on the check and took out the right amount.

"Hey, Will, let me get half of that," Sly interjected quickly, before his panther friend could put down the money.

"Nah, Sly, I got it."

"Please, I insist," the raccoon persisted, already getting out his wallet and handing Will half of the amount for the dinner.

Will shrugged and took it, putting half his money back in his wallet. "Thanks, man."

Sly shrugged modestly.

_At least he has manners._

"I'm going to head to the restroom," Artemis announced, getting up from the table and heading where she said.

"Me too, I'll be right back," Will promised, standing up as well.

An awkward silence fell over the table. When Carmelita stole a glance at Sly, he was looking at her and smiling mischievously.

"What are you looking at, Cooper?" demanded Carmelita, crossing her arms.

"Oo, using last names, are we, Ms. Fox?" Sly teased. "And I'm looking at a fox who is really quite gorgeous."

Carmelita narrowed her eyes. "Just because our friends are getting married and we have to dance together, doesn't make us friends," she grumbled.

"Ouch. That hurts," Sly replied dramatically, putting a hand to his heart. "It hurts right here."

The Interpol agent flicked her tail in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Ringtail."

"'Ringtail?' Oh, I like it."

A short silence befell the two before Sly broke it again. "So, Ms. Fox, what do you do?"

Still skeptical of his motives, Carmelita responded hesitantly. "I'm an Inspector for Interpol."

She saw his eyes widen in panic momentarily but it quickly vanished as he made his features neutral. "_Inspector_ Fox! How lovely."

"And what, _might I ask_, do you do?"

"Oh, nothing much. You wouldn't be interested, trust me," Sly answered, sending a wink her way.

Before she could retort or ask any further questions, both Artemis and Will came back.

"Shall we go?" questioned Artemis, looking at Carmelita.

"Yes, please. I'm exhausted," she responded, standing from the table and making her way out the door of the restaurant with her Irish friend.

Getting in the car and putting it in reverse, Carmelita sighed heavily.

_This is going to be a long couple of months._

* * *

**AN: I know, I know, hostesses in restaurants usually say "Right this way" and then guide you to your table, but for this I had to have the person ****_tell_**** Carmelita where to go so she could bump into Sly. Also, I based the layout of this Outback on the one near me.**

**The second time Sly and Carm bump into each other, I originally had her saying "I am ****_so_**** sorry!" but I felt that wasn't her. ****_Especially_**** not the second time bumping into the same person.**

**So, Will and Artemis are getting married and they asked Sly and Carm to be the Best Man and Maid of Honor (respectively)! Let me know how you feel about the whole thing and what you think is gonna happen with a review!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and stayed tuned for next week's installment of: "From Strangers to Dance Partners"!**

**(Sorry, had to be done)**


	3. Lecture from the Gang

**AN: ****Nice to see you all again! This next week will be really busy for me, so I may have to postpone the update this week. I'm not quite sure when I'll be able to get it up, but I'll probably have it written. I'm first going to my friend's house today until Thursday, then I'm coming home and then going straight to a cabin in PA where I won't have wifi. So, yeah.**

**I realize that I never really clarified what month it was. So, here: it's around the middle of August and the wedding is in the beginning of December. (Artemis and Will hadn't locked down a date, so that's why they said either end of Nov. or beginning of Dec.)**

**This is sort of a filler chapter. Also, Bentley and Murray make an appearance this chapter! Yaay!**

* * *

_Oh shit. Oh,_ shit! Sly thought to himself.

Not only did he have to do a tango and _not know anything about dancing_, but he also had to dance it with a _cop_ he just so happened to be attracted to!

He was _screwed_.

But, he wasn't going to show that, because Sly Cooper forever remains chill under any circumstance. Besides, he had Bentley to freak out about all this stuff.

"Calm down, Bentley. It'll be _fine_," said Sly. Sitting opposite him was Bentley, who was showing all the tell-tale signs of anxiety: his eyes kept darting around the room, his leg was bouncing up and down, and he was drumming his fingers on the table. Sitting next to Bentley was Murray, who was happily eating the meal he ordered.

They were in a small café in a secluded part of town so they could eat without running the risk of being recognized by cops. The gang had met there, so when Sly dropped the bomb about the wedding (the dancing part; Bentley and Murray were very happy for Will and Artemis), Bentley instantly started freaking out.

"How can you know for sure, Sly? I mean, she's a _cop_ for heaven's sake! She could _easily_ figure out what you do in your spare time. All she really needs to do is ask about any recent robberies and - BAM - we're busted!" Bentley said quietly.

Sly shrugged and twirled his cane. "We'll just have to make sure that she's really busy with _other_ stuff at work so we can make sure she's not curious. A little of your hacking magic, and we can be in the clear."

"But what if she _does_ get curious? What if she _asks_ someone about recent robberies and gets a file? What then? We can't hack paper that's already printed," argued the small turtle.

"Bentley _does_ have a point, Sly," Murray said, finally getting in the conversation.

The raccoon sighed, knowing he was outnumbered, but still standing firm on the notion that they should stay calm. "Then I'll just be extra careful around her. If worst comes to worst, I can alway bolt."

"Besides," he continues, "all the cases about us won't give much away. No one's ever actually _seen_ us before. It's all speculation."

Bentley shakes his head and sighs. "Alright."

Sly smiled at his friend.

"But don't say I didn't warn you, Sly," the brains of their operation added.

The master thief held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, if anything like that actually happens, you have my full permission to say 'I told you so,'" he assured.

Bentley gave a wry smile. "Can I get this in writing, please?"

At this comment, Sly chuckled.

* * *

The next two months went along smoothly. Artemis and Will made decisions about the wedding. Like where it would be, when it would be, who else was invited, etc.

And as for Sly and Carmelita, life went on.

Carmelita busted criminals in the morning and would go home to help Artemis with the wedding at night. They already picked out a dress and it was currently being altered for the big day.

Sly continued to pull heists with the gang and also help Will with things for the wedding.

There was really no need for their dance lessons to start yet, as the wedding was still two months away.

In a couple of days, Artemis, Carmelita, and the rest of the bridal party to go and pick out dresses for them.

Then, in a few more weeks, the dancing lessons for the fox and the raccoon would start. Carmelita already knew how to dance, so the lessons were more for Sly and to get her used to partnering with him.

* * *

Carmelita yawned as she opened the door to her shared apartment, having just finished a hard day of work.

When she had locked the door behind her, she turned around and went straight to her room. She then changed into pajamas and walked back into the TV room.

Already on the couch was Artemis, looking at things for the wedding.

"Hey, Art. Wanna watch a movie?" she asked, knowing that the Irishwoman deserved a little break from the non-stop decision making.

Sighing in relief and shutting the the book she was looking at, Artemis replied. "I'd love to. You pick the movie, I'll make the popcorn?"

"Sounds like a plan," answered Carmelita, walking over to their DVD cabinet and sitting down as her roommate walked into the kitchen.

As she was shuffling through the cases, she heard the microwave and distinct sound of popping kernels.

"Hey, don't forget that we're going dress shopping on Saturday," Artemis called from the kitchen.

"Aye, I won't, lassie," said Carmelita, mocking her friend's accent.

"Don't mock me, hun."

Carmelita laughed at the sassy tone in her friend's voice.

"Oh, also, your dance lessons with Sly start soon," the snow leopard added.

Carmelita groaned loudly. "Don't remind me."

"I honestly don't know what you're complaining about. Sly's nice and not to mention _extremely_ good looking," responded Artemis, coming into the room with the bowl of popcorn and sitting on the couch. "Still not as attractive as Will, but I think I'm a bit biased."

"Whatever," grumbled Carmelita. "He's still an ass."

"That's one cute arse," teases Artemis.

Carmelita snorted at her friend's words.

Then, picking a movie, she grabbed it and stood up, walking to the DVD player and popping it in.

"What're we watching?" questioned Artemis.

"You'll see," the fox answered mysteriously, turning the TV on and sitting on the couch.

As the previews played, Carmelita allowed her mind to wander.

She really hoped Sly would tone down the flirting. It would just make dancing with him that much more unbearable.

Although, it was sort of... Flattering, in a way. The fact that Sly flirts with her so shamelessly shows that he's at least a _little_ bit interested in her.

Unless he does this with every woman he meets...

Carmelita frowns at the thought.

Being brought back to reality by the main menu of the disc playing and Artemis' laughter, she smiles.

"Do you like my choice?" Carmelita asks sarcastically, already knowing it was one of Artemis' favorites.

"You know I _adore_ 'Aladdin!'"

Carmelita chuckled and pressed "play," setting the remote on the coffee table and tucking her feet under her.

All throughout the movie, the two women sung along with the songs they knew by heart through watching the movie many, many times. They weren't the _best_ singers in the world but, hey, it was all in good fun.

* * *

When the end credits rolled, Artemis sighed contentedly. Getting up, she stretched and took the empty popcorn bowl to the kitchen.

At the same time, Carmelita turned off the TV, popped the disc out, put it back in the case, and put the case back in the cabinet.

Placing the bowl in the sink, the bride-to-be yawned. "I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted."

"Same here," agreed Carmelita, getting up and following Artemis down the hallway to their bedrooms.

"'Night, Carm," said Artemis, stepping into her room.

"'Night," responded the blue-haired fox, stepping into her own room which was across the hall from Artemis'.

Carmelita snuggled into her bed, her nice warm blankets covering her.

As she drifted off to sleep, her mind couldn't help but turn to thoughts of a certain brown-eyed raccoon and what it was going to be like dancing with him.

* * *

**AN: So sorry it's so short, guys! (Also I'm INCREDIBLY sorry for not posting until now. I had it done Saturday, but I wanted to wait until today and then I had to clean and shit and then I was hanging with my friend, so yeah. Forgive me?) But, as I said at the top, this was more of a filler chapter and a chapter to express a time jump.**

**Next chapter will be dress shopping and the first dance lesson!**

**_Oo!_**

**_Aa!_**

**I'm not quite sure when the next update will come, but I promise I'll get it up ASAP!**

**Oh, almost forgot! Disclaimer: I do not own Aladdin, Disney does (I don't even own the DVD, which is sad). Nor do I own any recognizable characters from the Sly Cooper games.**

**'Till next time!**


	4. Dance Partners at Last

**AN: So so sorry for the long wait. I didn't get back until the 31st and was exhausted, so I waited until now to upload. Also, I didn't realize that some of my family was coming. I'm incredibly sorry.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, you guys!**

**Carmelita's dress: . **

**Other dresses' color: . **

**Just type those into your browser and delete the spaces, or check it out on my profile!**

* * *

There was an owl. A giant owl. It was made entirely out of metal.

And it was coming for her.

It's hate-filled eyes burned their way into her soul. She was aiming her shock pistol at it, unafraid on the outside, but internally scared to death.

But she was an Interpol agent. She would never falter. Never back down.

It was coming closer. It really was terrifying.

Just a bit closer, and she could shoot it.

As it was flapping it's wings harder, fighting to get to her, a metallic screech sounded from it's beak.

_Now! _She pulled the trigger.

_Click!_

Nothing.

_Click click click!_

It was jammed? Aw, hell.

The owl was too close. She wasn't going to make it. This was really how she was going out? What a shame.

She closed her eyes, preparing for impact.

Right before the bird slammed into her, a figure dove from her left, knocking them and her to the ground and out of the owl's range.

She opened her eyes to see a man hovering over her.

"Carmelita, are you alright?" he asked, brushing her hair to the side of her face, a tender look on his face.

"Sly..." she responded, dazed.

"Carmelita," he said again, his voice slightly different.

"Carmelita?" This time, the voice was... Feminine. And... Irish?

"Carmelita!" called the voice.

Snapping awake, the fox sat up. "Wha...?"

"We're here, hun," said her snow leopard roomie.

"Where?" asked Carmelita, not all the way awake yet.

"The dress shop, Carm. Are you alright?" Artemis asked, clearly highly concerned.

Then, as her mind came back to her, Carmelita nodded. "Right, right. We're shopping for bridesmaids dresses."

And yeah, I'm fine... I was just having a strange... Dream," Carmelita added, not wanting to worry her friend.

Artemis stated at her friend, a concerned look on her face. "Okay. If you say so."

"C'mon. Let's go get some dresses," insisted Carmelita.

Artemis smiled and nodded.

* * *

After they went into the dress shop and gave the appointment name, they had to wait for the other women to show up.

The fox and snow leopard waited on the couch in the lobby area.

The first to arrive was a friend of Artemis' that lived in Wales. She was a beautiful tigress that had a slight purple tint to her fur and black hair.

"Neyla!" exclaimed Artemis in her Irish lilt, seeing her walk in. "It's so great to see you!"

"Arty! It's wonderful seeing you, too, love!" replied the other woman.

The two friends hugged each other. When they pulled away, Neyla turned to Carmelita. "And who's this?" she asked, speaking to Artemis.

"I'm Carmelita. Fox," Carmelita spoke for herself, extending her hand for the tigress to shake.

"Yes, I can see that you're a fox...," said Neyla, glancing at Carmelita's extended hand before taking it and shaking.

"Uh, no, Fox is my last name," the vixen answered awkwardly, releasing the handshake.

"Ah... I see."

"So!" interrupted Artemis, sensing the tension between her two friends, "How've you been, Neyla, dear?"

Looking away from Carmelita, Neyla sat on the couch and turned to Artemis. "Well, you remember my old boyfriend, John?"

Carmelita sort of zoned out the two cats as they caught up with each other. She didn't particularly want to listen about how Neyla dumped John and then immediately started "snogging" Arthur because the sexual tension between the two of them was "Just. So. _Unbearable_."

Eye roll.

Besides, the blue-haired cop had other things to worry about. Like the case she got the other day.

It had seemed like another typical robbery, but the robber was never detected. All that was left in the empty safe was some sort of calling card.

For some reason, the victim burned the card before the police could get a hold of it. So, they really didn't even have that.

The perp slipped in and slipped out quickly and silently. No sign of forced entry and no prints left.

Clearly, Interpol was dealing with a pro.

Carmelita was dragged from her thoughts by the sound of her name.

"Hm?" she asked, looking up. Both Artemis and Neyla were looking at her, the former with a concerned look and the latter with an unamused look.

"What kind of dress do you think you want?" Artemis repeated.

Carmelita shrugged. "Whatever the bride wants," she said, smiling.

Artemis smiled at Carmelita and then turned to address them both.

"Well, the colors for our wedding are emerald green and electric blue. So, I'll probably have the Maid of Honor's dress be emerald green because you already have the blue hair, Carm. The other bridesmaids dresses will be electric blue. All the same style."

"That sounds awesome, Art," commented Carmelita.

Artemis then went on to describe the details of the wedding until the rest of the group started to trickle in one by one.

When everyone had arrived, a consultant walked up to the group and told them to follow her.

After getting Artemis' ideas, the consultant walked off to find some dresses. Coming back with a few, the girls went to the dressing rooms and tried them on.

* * *

Many dresses and a few eye rolls from Carmelita later, they decided on a dress.

The dress was tight-fitting at the top with a sweetheart neckline. The bottom of the dress flared out. It flattered all of the bridesmaids and it was gorgeous, so everyone agreed to wear them. Even Neyla, who had been highly opinionated throughout the appointment.

Sighing in relief at the fact that this was over, Carmelita changed back into her clothes along with the others.

Artemis was called into another room to confirm the sizes and colors of the dresses and the date of the wedding, so most of the girls left.

It was just Neyla and Carmelita in the waiting room.

Because Carmelita didn't really want to have to deal with the purple-ish tigress, she decided to wait outside.

The vixen didn't really understand why Neyla didn't just leave. Carmelita couldn't because she rode here with Artemis.

Whatever.

There was a bench against the building on the sidewalk, so Carmelita sat down.

Taking out her phone, Carmelita looked down at it to check if she had any messages.

"Fancy meeting you here," said a voice.

Carmelita's head whipped up, not believing her ears. "Oh my god."

For there, standing right on the sidewalk in front of her, was Sly Cooper.

"What are you even _doing_ here?" questioned Carmelita, a bit annoyed by the fact that he seems to be popping up everywhere she is.

Maybe he's stalking her...

"Ouch. Why you gotta be so harsh, Carm?" he replied, sliding onto the bench beside her.

In response, she slid farther away.

"I'm asking a question! Excuse me for being freaked out that you seem to be _stalking_ me."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not stalking you. I was just walking by here and your gorgeous, unmistakable blue hair caught my eye," he answered, throwing in a compliment to see if he could calm her down.

It... _Sort_ of worked.

Carmelita rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Just as the word came from her mouth and she heard an answering chuckle from Sly, she heard the bell on the store's door ding.

Seeing Carmelita look over and dread cross her face, Sly curiously looks over as well.

Carmelita watched as Neyla sauntered over, her hips swaying.

"So, Carmelita, who's your mate here?" she asked, sitting down much too closely to Sly, never taking her eyes off the raccoon. Sly's eyes widened and Carmelita took that as a "_wow-she's-so-pretty_" eye-widen.

(It wasn't really.)

Carmelita shoved her phone in her pocket, rolled her eyes, and stood up. "Oh, this is Sly. Sly Cooper. Now you two have fun," she answered, starting to walk off.

Sly stood up. "Carmelita, wait! I, uh," he started, looking at Neyla then back to Carmelita, "I wouldn't want to push you from your spot. You were here first, after all."

Carmelita turned around, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, Sly, don't worry about her. I'm sure she'll be fine," said Neyla, tugging his arm so he was sitting again. She then moved so she was practically sitting in his lap.

For the second time in a span of a minute, Carmelita rolled her eyes.

Neyla had one hand on his chest and the other lightly grabbed his chin, tilting it so he was looking at her. His breath hitched at the proximity; it was _much_ too close. But, he'd keep his cool. He always kept his cool.

Tongue darting from her lips to wet them, the purple tigress looked up at him from under her lashes, a smile crawling it's way onto her features. "I'm Neyla, by the way."

Carmelita glared.

"It's lovely to meet you Neyla," he said, holding her eyes with his own and giving a charming smile. At this, Neyla's smile turned positively _predatory_.

"But I really must be going." Sly took Neyla's wrists in his hands and pushed them away. He slid farther from her, creating the appropriate boundary.

Standing up and walking so he was in front of Carmelita, he glanced at Neyla. "It was great seeing you around, Carm," he softly said, seeing the glare on the vixen's face.

"Whatever. Just get out of here, Ringtail."

"See you at the wedding, Sly," Neyla purred, placing her arms so that her breasts seemed bigger. Sly looked back at her.

The charming thief in him slipped out as he sent her a wink. She giggled and Carmelita crossed her arms over her chest.

Just as Sly crossed the busy street, Artemis came out of the store, huffing in exasperation. "Sheesh. They asked so many questions!"

Then, she fell silent as she observed her two friends. One looked smug and the other angry and... Disappointed? Huh.

Blue catching her eye, the Irish snow leopard looked across the street and saw Sly.

Is that what this was about?

"Carm? Neyla? What happened while I was in there?"

"Oh, nothing, Arty, dear. I just had a little fun," Neyla said, standing up from the bench, tail flicking.

Artemis looked skeptically between Neyla and Carmelita, who still refused to meet her gaze.

"Bye Artemis. Bye _Carm_," said the tigress, smirking and walking off to her car.

The bride-to-be was confused at Neyla's condescending tone.

"Carmelita?"

"What? Let's get going," Carmelita sighed, grabbing her purse and walking to the car.

Needless to say, the car ride home was silent.

* * *

Carmelita woke up to her alarm blaring.

Realizing what day it was, Carmelita groaned.

Today, just two days after the "_Dress Shop Incident_," was the day of her and Sly's first dance lesson.

Oh, how she was dreading it.

Taking a shower and then putting on workout clothes, Carmelita walked into the kitchen. After eating a small, light breakfast and nursing her cup of coffee, she was ready to go.

Carmelita grabbed her keys, calling a quick goodbye to her roommate.

She heard an answering, "Please _try_ to get along!" and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, mother," she responded teasingly.

Pulling her curly hair into a ponytail, the blue-haired vixen walked out the door and to her car.

On her drive, she tried to keep a certain raccoon and tigress from her mind.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Sly ended up being late. He was held up by an impromptu Cooper Gang meeting.

He told Carmelita it was the traffic. She just rolled her eyes.

They walked through the lobby and into a room with a hardwood floor and a mirror completely covering one wall.

"Hello you two! My name is Natasha and this is my partner, Clint. We'll be your dance instructors for the duration of the next few months," said an orange tabby, stepping out into the middle of the room along with a golden retriever.

"Now, it may be hard, but Tasha and I believe in you... Even though we haven't really met," added Clint. "So, why don't we start with names?"

Carmelita smiled and stepped towards Natasha, who was standing closer to her. "I'm Carmelita Fox. Nice to meet you," she said, shaking both of their hands.

Following Carmelita's lead, Sly stepped forward as well, extending his hand. "Sly Cooper."

"Alright, Sly and Carmelita, before we get started, we need to ask a question," said Natasha.

They nodded.

"Do either of you have any experience?" asked Clint.

"I do. I've danced the tango a few times, as well as other styles," Carmelita answered honestly, but without coming across as arrogant.

Clint and Natasha nodded, turning their gaze to Sly.

They seemed to be really in sync... It was kind of creepy, yet cute.

"I've got no experience whatsoever," he answered cheerily, a goofy smile on his face.

Clint laughed. "Could you walk around in a circle for us real quick?"

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

"Alright," Sly shrugged, doing as the retriever asked.

When he had stopped in his original place, he saw Natasha nodding. "He's light on his feet. That'll be good," she said to Clint.

"Now," she said, clapping her hands together, "for the basics."

"In a tango, your steps must be smooth and your pauses must be sharp. If you falter once, the entire dance will be ruined," continued the tabby.

Sly scratched the back of his head. _Uh-oh_.

"There's also open-embrace tango, where lead and follow keep a short distance between their entire bodies throughout the dance, and close-embrace, where their chests are touching," informed Clint, looking between the two.

Sly hoped it would be open-embrace so Carmelita wouldn't end up killing him.

"We will be teaching you close-embrace."

_Shit!_

"There are many, many different _styles_ of the tango. The one you guys will be learning is called the 'tango canyengue,'" the dog explained.

"This style has the dancers dancing in a closed embrace, as I said before, sharing one axis with the legs relaxed and slightly bent."

"It's main characteristics are it's musicality and playfulness and the rhythm is described as being 'incisive, exiting, and provocative,'" he finished.

Carmelita and Sly exchanged a glance, the former glaring at the latter as if to say, "_Don't get any ideas, Ringtail._"

"Therefore, there must be passion and chemistry between the partners. Chemistry is _key_. Without chemistry, the dance will not be right," explained Natasha.

"Oh, I think we've got plenty of that," Sly mumbled loud enough for Carmelita to hear, a smirk plastered on his face.

After a quick slap in the back of the head from Carmelita, Sly shuts up.

Natasha looks between the two. "There will be complex footwork involved, as well as some lifts and dips."

Carmelita nodded, expecting as much.

Sly looked Carmelita up and down. Yeah, she should be easy to lift.

Probably taking it as Sly checking her out, Carmelita glared daggers at the raccoon.

Clint and Natasha shared an amused look.

"Okay! Now that all the words are over with, it's time to get started on the action!" exclaimed Clint.

"Nat and I will run through it all the way first, and then we'll teach you how to do it, step by step."

The fox and the raccoon nodded, taking a seat on the edge of the floor, sitting against the wall.

Natasha pressed the "play" button on the boom-box and the music started.

They watched, Sly in awe and Carmelita in admiration, as the couple showed them the routine, doing various turns and dips and lifts. There was so much passion and raw energy between the two. It was obvious they had been doing this together for quite some time.

When it was over, Natasha and Clint motioned for the two of them to get up.

Sly stood and offered a hand to Carmelita.

Glaring at his hand (Sly noticed she had been doing a _lot_ of glaring recently), Carmelita got up on her own.

As Sly watched Carmelita walk past him, he sighed frustratedly. "Oh, come on, Carm. You're not still mad about the other day, are you?"

"'Course I'm not. Why would I be? It's not like you're _mine_ or anything. Neyla had every right to flirt with you, and you with her," answered Carmelita calmly, stopping where she was and turning to face him.

Sly's heart skipped a beat. Oh, how he wished he was.

_Wait, what? Where the hell did _that _come from?_

Clint draped an arm around Natasha's shoulders. "Oo, this should be entertaining. Where's the popcorn?" he whispered.

Natasha elbowed Clint in the ribs, making his arm retreat along with a hiss of pain. "Shut up," she also whispered.

"Okay, then why do you keep glaring at me?" Sly asked, walking closer to her. "It's not like I made out with her in front of you or anything!"

"It's not _your_ actions that bothered me. And it would've been your choice if you 'made out with her,' which would've been fine by me," responded the blue-haired woman, putting air quotes around "made out with her."

He pretended not to be hurt that she wouldn't mind if he got with Neyla. "Carm, it was just harmless flirting. Well, on my part, at least," he added the last part uncertainly.

"I told you, I'm not mad."

"Well it sure as hell feels like it!"

"Okay, that's enough you two," Natasha intervened, sending the (sexual?) tension heighten. She heard Clint mumble something about it just getting to the good part. She ignored him.

"It's great that you two are resolving this little conflict, but you came here for dance lessons, not couples' therapy."

Now get in the starting position," she ordered.

The fox sighed and stepped closer to Sly, obeying the tabby woman's command.

"_Good_." Natasha spoke as if she were talking to children (because let's be honest: she sort of _was_).

"Now, Sly, take Carmelita's right hand in yours... Great! Put your left hand on her waist. And Carm, can I call you 'Carm?'"

After a nod from Carmelita, Nat continued.

"Carm, you put _your_ left hand on his left shoulder... Like that! _Perfect_."

When their hands were in the correct position, Natasha nodded. "Now step closer."

They glanced uncertainly at Nat before stepping a millimeter closer.

Clint rolled his eyes. "Chest to chest."

Sighing, they complied.

"Stop acting like school children and look each other in the eye! You'll have to do that for most of the dance anyway," scolded Clint.

Brown met brown as the two looked at each other. Carmelita had to tilt her chin up due to the height difference.

Sly's eyes sparkled with ever-present mischief and Carmelita's shone with anticipation.

"You know, Neyla has nothing on you," Sly remarked gently, looking into her eyes.

Carmelita blushed "Just shut it, Ringtail," she said, the usual harshness in her voice dulled.

Nat raised an eyebrow at this exchange. Oh, this should be easy. She could practically see the static zapping between the two.

When Natasha and Clint were in the same position as Sly and Carmelita, the instructors broke their trance.

"Now, follow our lead."

* * *

After hours of doing the steps, getting critiques, then perfecting the steps, it was safe to say that Carmelita and Sly were _sufficiently_ exhausted. And they only got through half of the routine!

"Okay, good work you guys! We'll pick up where we left off next week. Don't forget to practice," announced Clint as he and Natasha exited the room.

Carmelita was sitting on the floor, panting as Sly chugged his water bottle.

"You want some?" he offered, wiping his mouth.

"Yes, please," she answered, catching the tossed bottle and taking a sip.

Once she was properly hydrated, she tossed the bottle back to him, muttering a thanks.

Sly walked over to her, extending his hand to help her up. Hope and kindness shone in his eyes.

Carmelita looked between his hand, his face, and back again before placing her hand in his and allowing him to gently hoist her up.

"Thanks," she said.

Sly gave her a grin and released her hand. "No problem, partner."

Carmelita rolled her eyes, this time playfully.

Sly and Carmelita walked into the lobby and exited the building.

Carmelita got in her car and drove away.

Sly, however, sat there for a while, smiling. That certainly went better than expected.

(He couldn't wait for the next lesson.)

* * *

**AN: End of chapter 4! Woo!**

**Did you guys like my shoutout to Clintasha? XD Sorry, I just had to. I've been getting a lot of Clintasha feels, what with the Avengers: Age of Ultron coming! I also thought those two animals suit them best.**

**(I had to do so much research on the tango for this chapter x.x It was fun, but rather tedious.)**

**I apologize for any mistakes, I was semi-rushing to get this to you guys. PLEASE, I BEG YOU! Let me know if you see any errors!**

**Also, drop me a review to let me know what you think!**


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